The next step...

I find myself at an interesting time in my martial arts journey. Tomorrow, I begin building my private dojo at my home. In April this year my wife and two girls moved into a new house. This property has a 90 metre square shed as well. At about the same time as the move, my father-in-law passed away. It was a difficult time for us but 7 months on we are settled and moving on with our lives. My marvelous wife donated a proportion of her father's inheritance to allow me to build a dojo in part of the large shed. She also has a cousin who is a builder and after having a discussion with him he was happy to help with the build. He arrives tomorrow to begin on the sprung floor. 

A view from the Japanese Contemplation garden in Hamilton.

I am documenting every step of the build and will blog about the details in future posts. 

When people heard I was building a private dojo some started to ask if I would begin teaching Aikido again. I have agreed to teach one boy and his friend once the dojo is functional. I will see how this goes but at this stage I do not want to commit to scheduled classes as I have to balance my work and family as well as my own training. Although the small amount of money I get from teaching I will put into pursuing my own training. 

This brings me to my next point. My Aikido training and credentials. When I passed my Nidan grading I did not receive a certificate. I have no documentation to say what I have achieved and I feel that those who wish to have tuition from me are owed at least that. So, I will be talking with my Aikido teacher over the next month or so and re-establishing ties and working out what I need to do to consolidate my Aikido rank. It may mean re-grading or joining an organisation for credibility in the eyes of the public. I certainly believe I am a better martial artist since my transition to TSYR. The 'engine' has been refined and is ready to power Aikido techniques. However, the public do not know this, so time to get some documentation. 

Having a private dojo also allows other training opportunities. I will be welcoming any TSYR member to come and train. There is a loft area for bedding so staying over is not a problem. I can also train more often without compromising time with my family. I can simply walk out of my house and into my dojo for an hour of solo training whenever it fits with family life. Now, that is exciting!

So in the meantime I have an exciting project that will change the direction of my training for good.

One discipline or many?

How many styles?

What is the best? Training in one martial art or many? If more than one is of a benefit then how many more? In my opinion, there is not one good answer.

I train in TSYR and prior to that aikido. At one point I was doing both. I remember asking my aikido instructor what he thought of cross-training and he said that was fine as long as you have a foundation in one martial pursuit first.

I have met some people on that mat that have studied many martial arts through their lives but not necessarily at the same time.

What are the challenges? First there is the issue of available training time. If you have a family and a job then your time will be limited. You will have to work around those important commitments. You will need to find a club or dojo that fits in with your lifestyle. A club that trains on Saturdays is no good if you have to take your daughter to her soccer games on that day. 

If you are single with flexible working hours then things open up for you. So you have time? How do you use it? You will need to find clubs that train on alternate days so you can get to the training times. Perhaps an aikido dojo trains three times a week, on the alternate days you train in karate. 

Even if you have plenty of time to give to martial arts you have to have access to dojo or training halls nearby. Your time disappears quickly if you are travelling two or three hours to get to your training every time. It may mean moving to a larger town or city where more clubs are available. In New Zealand most towns have a Judo or Tae Kwon Do club but you need to move to a bigger place to get the variety of styles. 

Training in different martial arts certainly gives an insight into how each style trains and focuses on and you can quickly make a comparison but I'm not sure you progress as a quality martial artist as quickly. 

What is the advantage to training in one martial art? Well, if you spend all your available time on that martial art, you will get good at it sooner than a person who is spreading time across two or three martial arts (or do you?). Even here I find myself thinking of exceptions. Some people find different martial arts that compliment each other and training in one may help your technique in another. Sometimes people are just talented and pick up body mechanics and movement much easier than others so find training in more than one martial art easy.

For now let us assume we are doing one martial art and training as often as we can. What does this do for us? Firstly you are taught some fundamental skills in that martial art. Depending on that martial art you will be developing cardiovascular fitness, balance, timing and speed. As you progress you will become better and better at the different waza or kata. You will learn more waza and kata. Over time your training will take on new levels as you look more deeply into principles and ways your body has been trained to move. Hopefully you will internalise the movements that make up your martial art. They will become second nature and others will see you as being very good.

I trained in aikido for about 9 years and a large part of this training included taking ukemi. Without a doubt, that aspect of my training has been internalised and even though I train in another budo, the skills I learned before are well ingrained. There is certainly an advantage to sticking at one martial art for a long time.

What are the advantages to training across more than one martial art? Well, first of all you get to see the differences and similarities of two or more fighting systems. Maybe a technique common to both is applied differently. You get a lot of information in a shorter amount of time while you learn the basics of two or more disciplines.

The downside, and I see it as a major downside, is that this information overload can be conflicting or confusing for complete beginners. If you have never done martial arts before then you have no point of reference. You can start blurring techniques and trying things that are complete rubbish and not found in either art you are training in.

From my personal experience and from what others have told me, it would seem the safest route would be to get a grounding in one martial art first. Once you think you are at least competent in that martial art then start considering your next path.

When choosing another martial art you should either train in a complimentary art or one that has a completely different focus.

For example, Aikido is a Japanese martial art that focuses on joint locks and throws. Training in solid striking with hands and feet is not paramount. A complimentary martial art to take up would be a karate style. It is still a Japanese martial art so many terms are similar but there is a heavy focus on doing a good kick or punch. In this way you develop a more holistic approach to your training. Western Boxing would also develop good striking but due to its very different background could cause a student to develop the wrong body mechanics or mindset.

Most people I have met who have trained in more than one martial art appear to have progressed from one to another in a natural sequence. They have become better and better martial artists as they have transitioned, learning what each art had to offer. Many still have a core martial art they have their base movements in.

My current instructor trained for many years in Goju Ryu Karate. This style of karate has strong Okinawan influences and practices. He then moved into Wado Ryu karate which has Okinawan and Japanese influences. While still training in this style he began training in TSYR. This progression actually has a nice continuity about it. He started with a purely Okinawan martial art, then to a martial art with both Okinawan and the more subtle Japanese Jujutsu elements and finally to a classcial Jujutsu school. He now presents as a very proficient martial artist who can inform his current practice based on years of studying earlier arts.

Even my own less lofty journey makes sense in a way. Aikido training has elements of the more traditional jujutsu way of training and when I began training in TSYR I found some familiar elements within. I was familiar with joint locks and wearing a hakama and some of the Japanese terminology. There were certainly differences (sword work being one of them) but overall learning aikido certainly prepared me for training in TSYR.

Training for a long time in one martial art also teaches other things. One learns perseverance. To never give up and to move through frustration in yourself and your progress. You learn to trust that you will get better in time. When you take up another discipline you are familiar with starting again, learning basics and being patient with yourself and others. You also learn what your limits are in those early years. You learn to listen to your body and understand when to push through discomfort but not to push on to a point of harming yourself. Long time practitioners of the martial arts also learn how to teach themselves, how to use their time off the mat to further their training. It might be practicing sword cuts in your garage or going through rolling drills. In this way when you start a new discipline you know what it takes to progress quickly.

In conclusion, I would have to say that getting a strong foundation in one martial art and then trying others is my preferred way to train. In this way you can make better decisions in choosing your next path and making sure it is a logical progression in your martial arts journey. 

Shindo Yoshin Ryu and Wado Ryu Karate

It is this time of the year again, when the Kaicho of TSYR, Toby Threadgill visits New Zealand to teach at our dojo. This year, the seminar was different. Norma Foster a 7th Dan in Wado Ryu Karate joined Toby in teaching at the seminar. The goal of this seminar was to show the connection between the two martial arts.

Foster and Threadgill Seminar 2015

The founder of Wado Ryu was a man named Hironori Ohtsuka and he had studied Shindo Yoshin Ryu to a high level. This influenced his style of karate. This influence can still be seen in some of the techniques in the modern budo. Norma and Toby spent the weekend explaining some of these connections.

On Friday night Alan Roberts hosted a two hour session at his dojo in Auckland. This was an open seminar and gave interested people the opportunity to see Threadgill sensei in action. 40 people came to train and hear what Threadgill sensei had to say.

On Saturday morning Foster Sensei and Threadgill Sensei co-taught at the Hamilton dojo and explained how the modern budo (Wado) has its roots in an older koryu bujutsu (TSYR) and the links can be shown. It was an interesting morning and I was able to try my hand at some fundamental Wado Karate techniques. Needless to say I was a fish out of water as I have had no experience in such things. It was humbling and challenging.

After lunch we split up and Norma Foster continued training the karateka and Toby Threadgill taught the TSYR practitioners. Threadgill Sensei took us through throwing drills and some kata that had recently been moved into the Shoden curriculum.

Sunday morning saw us working in our split groups again and the TSYR group began working on kneeling techniques. Threadgill sensei imparted some great gems of wisdom and technical advice.

In the late afternoon, the two instructors had a Q & A session with everyone.

Overall it was a great weekend and everyone was happy but very tired afterward.

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What it means to be part of a koryu bujutsu.

I practised aikido for about nine and a half years. I was introduced to the martial art by a work colleague and thought I would check it out. I entered into training thinking that I would keep at it until life got in the way. I became obsessed with training, I was young, single and had time. During those years I met many people. Most of them through the dojo I trained at but also while visiting other dojo or at seminars. I enjoyed learning how to train with other people and found out how to persevere through my own limitations and frustrations. I struck up friendships but the members of my dojo felt like work colleagues. People that enjoyed the same interest as me. Some did become long-term friends but most did not. 

Aikido taught me how to learn a martial art. Then I entered a koryu bujutsu. 

The first difference is how I got involved. I was interviewed by phone by the sensei at the time and had to produce a CV of my martial background including past teachers (this was easy, one martial art, one teacher). I was invited to train but it was made clear this was a probationary period where I could walk out at any time or I might be discouraged from continuing. Finally, after about a year of training I was asked to take keppan (blood oath). This cemented for me how serious I was to take my training. Things in my life had changed. I had a partner and young children now. Time was at a premium when I was entering a more demanding martial art. The expectation is that I train as often as I can and as diligently as I can. Needless to say, I value my time on the mat. But one thing that I wasn't prepared for was how close I would become to my fellow training partners. Numbers in a koryu bujutsu dojo are small (I mean really small). In a modern budo a typical training hall might find 10 to 30 students training in any given evening. At our koryu dojo we have a core of about 10 students, with anywhere from four to eight training on any given day and our dojo is considered 'healthy'. This means I have got to know these other people very well. The head of our kai lives overseas but travels to New Zealand once or twice a year. Members from our dojo travel to hombu once a year for instructor seminars. Threadgill sensei knows each of us personally. He knows our families as well. For me, this is very different to my aikido training days. If I went to an aikido seminar up to 100 people could be on the mat. The guest instructor would most likely be from another country but didn't know you by name and certainly didn't know your family. You would take what you could from the lessons put forward by this person then return to your own dojo. Aikido, as with many modern budo is taught to the masses. Koryu bujutsu is not. It is much more personal. Genuine relationships are formed between teacher and student.

Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu has lost two of its senior most students over the last two years. One was my dojo-cho the other was a senior student at hombu. If a well-known, high-ranking aikidoka was to pass on, it would be sad. Sad in the kind of way when a distant relative dies. When a member of a koryu bujutsu passes, it is like a close family member passes. Although I had never met the student at hombu, she was my senpai, she had entered the ryu before me, she had taught both of my instructors at some time or another and through them passed on her knowledge. There is a connection. People from my dojo who had trained at hombu had spoken about training with her, what she was like as a person and even shared notes she had made on techniques. There was only two degrees of separation between us. That makes it real, it hurts. Even as I write this I am astonished at how much the koryu bujutsu community means to me. I have friended TSYR members on Facebook that I have never met but we are a small community with a shared experience. We practice an old budo and there are not many of us, we are committed to its preservation. That brings us together. When a senior member passes, so too does their knowledge and insight. 

When my sensei passed suddenly, the messages and contact made from our international family was amazing. Robbie had traveled often and met many of those from the Ryu. Even those who had not met him personally had heard about him from someone in their dojo, again, two degrees of separation. We are a close group.

How the koryu is organised is different to aikido as well. In aikido there are many styles and organisations. The Aikikai can be considered to be an umbrella organisation that represents mainline aikido. No single person is in charge though. In koryu bujutsu there is one headmaster of the kai. In our case, Threadgill sensei. What he says, goes. Although he lets each dojo-cho manage the day-to-day running of their own dojo he ultimately decides which member is registered with the kai and who has to leave. Only him, no one else. If you don't like it? Tough. This actually helps create the close family feel of the group. The headmaster is mentor and teacher to all, almost like a father-figure. It certainly removes much of the politics that is found in large modern budo organisations.

Being part of this koryu has enriched my life. I have had to give more to this training than in aikido but I get more back in return. 

Training in a koryu bujutsu is not for everyone but for those of us that have taken the risk and made the commitment required it can be very rewarding. 

Back into it!

Well, its been a while, in that time I have shifted house, helped my wife through her father's death and got on with my job, my training and raising my two girls. 

Today I am writing about the tips and thoughts my sensei, Chris and another training buddy, Pete brought back from two weeks away at the TSYR instructor's seminars in Colorado, USA. They attended the Shoden Instructor's seminar and Chuden Instructor's seminar over this time.  

First and foremost, they are both happy with where our dojo is in regards to the quality of our practice and technique. This is important as New Zealand is a long way from other dojo, in particular hombu, so knowing we are on the right path is good. 

Secondly, Threadgill sensei has decided to rearrange some of the kata in the syllabus. This appears to make a lot of sense and I don't want to go into too much detail here but Takamura sensei did move some of the kata around due to the type of students he had when he began in the United States. Threadgill sensei thinks the time is right to move some of these kata back to where they were. Ultimately, this means that the order that the kata are learned will change slightly. This does not affect our group very much as we have practised most of the kata involved at one time or another anyway.

What is exciting is that there are three throws being introduced back into the shoden curriculum which I have not practised before. However, due to the principles that we adhere to I was amazed to find how easy it was for the group to learn these throws quickly. They are in fact, easier than the throws we had been doing but we can see how they give a foundation for more advanced throws later on. 

Finally, sensei talked about some points to our practice that we need to refine or tweak. It is always exciting to hear and see what these points are so we can continue to refine and perfect our martial art. 

It is moments like these that I appreciate how both my past sensei, Robbie Smith and my current sensei, Chris can see the principle behind a technique and distill it down and teach it back to us. It is this type of instruction that makes us as good as we are, in my opinion. As a group we are moving past needing to know where to place our feet and hands for a technique and are seeing more of the greater whole of the TSYR curriculum, We are seeing how each part fits together like a puzzle. 

It was great to have these guys back and just to show you how crazy these two are with their training. They came along to the Saturday morning training which starts at 9am having arrived back in the country at 5am that same morning!

Now that is dedication.

A Review of 'Old School' by Ellis Amdur.

I have recently finished reading Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions the expanded edition by Ellis Amdur.

First of all let me say that I have always enjoyed reading anything written by Ellis. He has a way of taking dry history and weaving it into a dramatic story that sometimes has a no-holds-barred feel about it. So I was very keen to start reading this book.

The structure of the book is divided up into five sections.

Part One: Something Once New

Part Two: Essays on Japanese Weaponry

Part Three: History and Tradition

Part Four: Nothing Stays the Same: Martial Traditions from the Edo Period.

Part Five: The Sinew of Classical Martial Traditions.

I will review the book by taking my favourite pieces from each of the five parts and highlight some things that stood out for me as a practitioner of a classical Japanese martial art.

Part One introduces the reader to some of the oldest koryu (old schools) still being practised today. The most famous perhaps being Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-ryu. The other two I had never read about before, Maniwa Nen-ryu and Higo Ko-ryu. Reading about these other two ryu encouraged me to have a look on Youtube and I found a nice clip of Nen Ryu and it was just like Ellis had described.

It is here if you are interested. Nen Ryu

Also found Higo Ko Ryu, keep in mind that Amdur's description of the ryu helps immensely in understanding the movements on the clip.

Ellis gives the reader plenty of information on the three ryu, including samples of the syllabus and key features of each ryu and the context in which these ryu were established.

The most outstanding passage from this first section of the book is how Ellis writes with such reverence about Kino Shizue, 14th generation headmaster of Higo Ko Ryu. Kino Sensei had just finished a shiai but one more opponent waited to one side to compete with her. The announcer had decided that enough time had been spent on 'old folks' matches and wanted to move things along. Kino sensei refused to move from the floor despite the pleas from the announcer and officials. She stood there silently.

Eventually Kino Sensei got her way and Abe Toyoko of Tendo-ryu walked out to challenge her.

The fight between these two ladies was not typical of shiai. They did not need judges to tell them if a hit had been scored. Every strike was considered a killing blow and each woman knew it. The two ladies stalked each other around the hall with few attacks made and fewer landing. When a strike did hit home a loud crack was heard around an otherwise silent hall. At some point they both decided the match was over and walked off. It is an amazing story and shows the character of these stoic, honest women. If this character can be imbued into current practitioners of koryu it would be a good thing indeed. It was a great way to end Part One.

Part Two was probably my least favourite part of the book. It discusses the evolution and development of three of Japan's classic weapons. The naginata (halberd), kusarigama (chain and sickle) and chigiriki (flail). Ellis studies ryuha which incorporate the use of naginata and this is apparent in his knowledge and obvious interest in this weapon. He tells us how the romantic ideal of warrior monks turns out to be nothing more than mercenaries hired by religious sects. He also investigates how the naginata evolved from a foot soldier's weapon to one associated with women samurai. 

He debunks myths around the origins of the kusarigama and discusses how three versions of the weapon are still used. He holds no punches in critiquing these weapons and the kata they are used in.

The Chigiriki is an odd weapon I had not even heard of before reading this book. It is a strange weapon that stands out among the other Japanese weapons. Again, Ellis can speak with authority over this weapon as it is utilised in one of the ryu he studies. 

Although this section is packed with information, I struggled to relate to some of the material as I have never trained with any of the weapons mentioned or studied the ryuha mentioned. I diligently read it for completeness but was not as inspired or interested in the text compared to the other chapters. 

Part Three felt the most typical of historical text. This did not make it less interesting for me as Ellis keeps it 'alive' by his writing style and he reveals a lesson to the reader by telling the tale. What this section showed clearly to me was that the ryuha are often complex, political and have much more in common with each other than some people may think. All it takes is a particular person in history to use his knowledge of previously learned martial schools and then combine certain elements from all schools to create their own style. Through generations schools may split into factions but key elements can be identified as belonging to such-and-such ryu and despite the two schools having nothing to do with each other for generations, the key elements still exist. 

This section also discusses the role of women warriors in Japan. Again, the reader can tell Ellis has a soft spot for this topic and one can't help thinking that the fact one of his teachers was a woman that he has a great respect and reverence for these ladies that follow martial pursuits. He also returns to the topic of the naginata as predominantly the weapon of the female budoka in the current age. 

Part Four was truly a highlight for me. First let me explain that this section discusses at length how these old Japanese traditions have moved into the 21st Century. Ellis discusses Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto-ryu, Honma Nen-ryu and Yoshin-ryu specifically as examples on how this has occurred. Of course this discussion cannot occur without mentioning World War Two and what that meant for the traditional martial arts. In fact, the end of this war would spell the end of some of the schools as its practitioners were either killed in the war or left with old men with no students due to the stigma that had been associated with the old ways of thinking. Competitive fencing and Kano's Judo must be discussed here as well. Both influenced the classical Japanese martial arts and how they changed or adapted to survive. 

Ellis takes each ryu and writes about how they continued to be sustained at different points in their history. He highlights the importance of certain men and decisions that allowed the ryu to stay at least slightly relevant in its time to ensure it continued on.  

I must mention how excited I was to read the chapter on Yoshin-ryu, obviously important in my understanding of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu, the art in which I train. There was nothing more satisfying than understanding the roots of one's own school and the events and people that allowed this ryu to survive. When I read a family tree of TSYR what I miss are the human elements and interactions that help me better understand how the school came about. Ellis provided some of this for me. Ellis writes about a foreigner called Erwin Baelz who was pivotal in getting Japanese interested in classical martial arts again around the 1870s (just after the modernisation of Japan) and he may have been the catalyst that enabled the koryu to continue when Japanese minds had their thoughts on Western ideas and values.

Of course, I once again got to read about Matsuoka Katsunosuke the founder of Shindo Yoshin Ryu, merely 28 years old when he announced his new style. After him came many other important names that I recognized such as Obata Shigeta and Takamura Yukiyoshi to name a few. It was nice to read about Takamura sensei from an outsider's point of view. 

Part Five was a short section that touches on important aspects of any koryu. That of the more esoteric religious and philosophical viewpoints that are woven into the fabric of each ryu. Ellis briefly discusses Shinto, Taosim, Neo-Confucianism, Mikkyo, and Shugendo. He also dedicates a chapter to Keppan (blood oaths) and what they mean to the modern practitioner. 

At the very end of the book is a glossary to help the reader define the many Japanese terms found within the text.

Overall I found Ellis to write respectfully about people and their martial schools but gave honest critique when he felt he had the authority to do so. He added splashes of colour to historical events that helped me stay engaged with the passages of text. Occasionally he added subtle humour that had me chuckling to myself. I believe this book has relevance to anyone who is practising koryu whether your specific school is mentioned in the book or not. 

I must thank my friend, Jules, for acquiring a copy for me. I am very grateful.  

Aiki in Aikido

I do not actively practise aikido right now. However, it is still in my heart and I wish to return to it in the near future. Circumstances may allow this to happen soon.

I left aikido to pursue TSYR. I had to decide between the two martial arts as my time was at a premium with a young family. Now, with my girls getting older, very soon, hopefully I will return to aikido training once more.

So I find it timely that I stumbled upon this article by Ellis Amdur.

A Consideration of Aikido Practice.

This article resonated with me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I have always believed the founder of Aikido was a man of remarkable skill and ability as a martial artist. Like many founders of martial arts he had a certain presence and the backing of important people that allowed him to be successful but ultimately it was his martial prowess that won many people over. However, over the generations, we are not seeing students of aikido emerging with similar skills. Why not? In my opinion, Morihei Ueshiba had developed a different way of powering his techniques that most of his students simply didn't pick up. Ellis Amdur states this much more eloquently in his book, "Hidden in Plain Sight" so I won't even attempt to articulate further.

So it was that I went on the search for a martial art that could teach me how to develop internal strength. I found TSYR.

Secondly, the article talks about incorporating internal strength into aikido practice and this is something I have been thinking about for some time. I am very interested in studying this further and I have dabbled with moving with a connected body using the shapes of aikido techniques. It will take some time but inspired by the article I think there is value in pursuing it. 

So the irony is, my TSYR training may end up informing my aikido practice. Isn't that interesting?